1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to poultry defeathering devices in general, and to devices intended to be used with unscalded birds in particular.
2. Prior Art
It is well known in the prior art to remove feathers from poultry using a machine essentially comprising a plurality of rubber fingers mounted on a rotatable wheel or cylinder. A bird's feathers may be plucked by bringing the bird into contact with the rotating fingers.
In commercial poultry processing operations, the bird is frequently scalded prior to plucking. The bird is typically dipped in very hot water (in excess of 150.degree. F.). This loosens the feathers in the skin and makes them easy to remove. It also adds weight to the feathers, making them easy to capture. A simple wall can be placed behind the rotating wheel so that the plucked feathers are thrown against the wall upon the rotation of the cylinder. The feathers will then slide down the wall into a receptacle.
However, scalding has substantial drawbacks that are particularly pertinent outside of large scale poultry processing operations. For example if the birds are overheated, the skin may be damaged so that it may be easily torn during plucking. If the birds cool after scalding, the skin will contract around the feathers, locking them into the skin. This makes the feathers more difficult to remove than they would have been had the bird not been scalded at all. To ensure that birds are scalded at the correct temperature, it is necessary to have a water heater of some sort that is capable of maintaining the water temperature at a uniform level. Such equipment may constitute a substantial expense. Additionally, the presence and use of scalding hot water creates obvious burn risks to human operators.
It is not necessary to scald the bird in order to remove its feathers using a rotating cylinder type plucker. However, if the feathers are not wet, they are quite light. Plucking them with a rotating cylinder will scatter the feathers. This makes the feathers difficult to collect if they are to be used for pillow stuffing or other purposes. It can also make a substantial mess such as that which might result from the ill advised combination of a hair dryer, a burst feather pillow, and a mischievous child.
Therefore, a poultry defeathering device meeting the following objectives is desired.